


Uncle Rhodey

by books_entertain_the_mind



Series: Our New Normal [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friday Is A Child, Magic Explains Everything, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Uncle Rhodey, nothing but fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-23 07:31:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18148946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/books_entertain_the_mind/pseuds/books_entertain_the_mind
Summary: Rhodey comes to visit the Starks one morning to find the most bizarre scene he never thought he'd see in Tony Stark's kitchen.A.K.A. Rhodey meets Rowan Stark and becomes an uncle.





	Uncle Rhodey

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for all the support from the first two stories! I'm glad people seem to enjoy this! 
> 
> I have a very short list of ideas and prompts this cute family of three, so if you have anything you want to see happen, let me know!
> 
> Enjoy some Uncle Rhodey time!

A week later found the Starks in a new but happy routine. They learned that while Rowan still had some knowledge and understanding of many things a normal three year-old wouldn’t she still very much had a mind of toddler. It was a balance that Tony and Pepper had to work to find with her, but have eventually found their groove. Rowan has a quicker understanding of topics Tony and Pepper have to teach her, but she still has the comprehension of a three year-old.

Before, their mornings consisted of Pepper getting up early to prepare and look over whatever work she had for the day at SI while Tony slept until the last possible moment, usually recovering from his most recent inventing binge.

Now though, Pepper will wake up, shower, change into her work clothes and begin to prepare breakfast. By the time she has the food prepped, Rowan is beginning to wake up, so she’ll go and get her little girl dressed and ready for the day. Pepper will bring Rowan back to the kitchen and let her drink some juice while Pepper finished breakfast.

By the time the food was ready, Tony would stumble out into the kitchen. He would walk over to the table and swing Rowan into his arms, pepper her face with kisses, delighted in all the squeals his actions created. He’d carry her on his hip over to Pepper, and greet her with a kiss.

The three of them would then sit down and enjoy breakfast and discuss their plans for the day. They adjusted so quickly and so well to the new roles of parents and child, that sometimes Pepper and Tony would forget that’s it’s only been a week.

The biggest thing they had to work through and have been successful for the most part, was Rowan’s separation anxiety with Tony. For the first couple of days, Tony and Pepper couldn’t think of a reason why Rowan freaked out anytime she wasn’t near Tony. They did eventually realize what the problem was though. As Friday the AI, she had learned and grew as an intelligence under the diligent eye of Tony, who wrote her code and essentially brought her to life. Now, as this defenseless, human toddler, the first person she saw and interacted with was Tony, the man who had always cared for her and was unknowingly labeled her protector. The thought of being away from the one person who had always been a constant for her, terrified Rowan.

Once they figured out the root of the issue (Thank you, Jarvis), Tony and Pepper worked on helping Rowan get over the fear of being away from Tony. That was one reason why Pepper always got Rowan up and ready in the mornings. So she could establish the same sense of trust and safety that Tony already had in the eyes of their daughter.

So now, by the end of their first week as a family, Rowan was almost always fine being away from Tony. The child had her moments, but they didn’t fault her because she was only three after all.

This morning went the same as always, Pepper was making pancakes while Rowan sat in her booster seat and contently sipped on some apple juice and they both waited for Tony to wake up. By the time Pepper finished cooking all the pancakes and turned off the stove, Tony still hadn’t made it to the kitchen. She made sure everything was turned off and rowan was strapped into her seat before giving the little girl a quick kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll be right back, sweetheart.” Pepper told her daughter. “I’m just going to go check and make sure Daddy is awake. Stay in your seat.” With that, Pepper left the kitchen, leaving Rowan alone to finish her juice.

Several moments later, Rowan heard the elevator open and a familiar voice call out for her daddy. Suddenly, she found herself staring at a tall man with a metal contraption connected to his legs. Rowan knew that somewhere deep in her memories, she knew who this man was, but she couldn’t remember at all who he was and that made her really nervous. She was all alone in the kitchen with this strange man while her mama and daddy were in the bedrooms.

The man stopped and stared at Rowan, his mouth hanging open shock written all over his face. He took a look around the kitchen, noticing how suddenly it was extremely child-friendly. Rowan watched the man look around but when he focused back on her and took a step towards her, she shrank back against her chair and whimpered.

The man stopped mid-step and held his hands out to calm her down. “It’s ok,” he tried, “I won’t hurt you. What’s your name?”

Rowan knew what her name was, but didn’t wanted to talk to the stranger. She just wanted her mama and daddy. She watched the man take another step towards her, causing Rowan to jerk back and start screaming.

“Mama!! Daddy!!”

Almost instantly there was the sound of two pairs of feet running towards the kitchen. Tony slid in, his socks giving him an extra boost to reach Rowan, with Pepper right on his heels. Without hesitating, Tony unbuckled and pulled Rowan out of her seat and into his chest, while Pepper began to frantically look her over for any injuries, both of them talking softly to Rowan to try and calm her down.

 

Rhodey watched the scene in front of him in just plain old shock.

When it came to Tony Stark, Rhodey didn’t think there was anything the man could do to surprise him anymore. After living with the genius at MIT when he was a 15 year-old punk and then a lifetime of adventures only someone like Tony Stark could procure, Rhodey that the shock factor of their relationship was over. Apparently not.

He watched Tony and Pepper race into the kitchen after the mysterious little girl starting crying out for her parents, and instantly start comforting her and making sure the girl was all right. That wasn’t what shocked him. Finding a little kid in his best friend’s kitchen was off putting, but that wasn’t as surprising either. What shocked him speechless was how much of an utter dad Tony had somehow transformed into.

He watched the man that claimed he’d never be a dad because of Howard calm down and cuddle a crying child as if he’d been doing it his whole life. Once Pepper had deemed the girl free of injuries, Tony started to rock the girl back and forth, whispering words too soft for Rhodey to hear.

After several moments, the little girl calmed down to just an occasional sniffle. She ended up tucked under Tony’s chin and seemed to borrow as far into the man’s chest as she could. Pepper had noticed Rhodey earlier, and after she deemed the girl alright, the woman had started making a plate for their friend to join him at the table.

Tony finally looked up and saw his best friend standing there, seemingly frozen in shock. The genius smiled and bounced Rowan once. “Aw, baby girl, did Uncle Rhodey frighten you? It’s ok, honey. It’s just your Uncle Rhodey.”

Rhodey lost it after that sentence. He was broken from his trance and blinked a few times, still not completely believing what he was seeing. Before he uttered a word, a voice he hasn’t heard in years spoke.

_“Sir, Mr. Parker just sent you a message asking if you were still coming to his science fair tomorrow evening.”_

Before Tony could reply, Rhodey threw his hand up. “Hold on. Is this all real? What the hell is going on?”

“Language.” Tony called out before handing Rowan off to Pepper and turning to give his friend a hug.

Rhodey held his hands up and took a step back. “Nope. I’m not hugging you until you explain what’s going on. Why did I just hear Jarvis speaking to you, who’s the kid, why am I ‘Uncle Rhodey’, and why in the world are you and Pepper suddenly acting like experienced parents?”

Tony and Pepper glanced at each other for a second before Tony stared laughing. Rhodey didn’t understand why any of this was funny, but he begrudgingly let his friend throw an arm around him and lead him to the table.

“Come on, Platypus. We’ll explain while we eat. It’s too early to do this without food.”

With that, they all at the table and started eating pancakes, Rowan trying to eat them herself but making more of a mess than actually eating food. Tony noticed Rhodey starting to get impatient with not having any answers, so with a quiet chuckle, Tony began telling his best friend everything that transpired the week prior from the moment Rowan appeared to Jarvis coming back and everything else up to that point at breakfast.

“So now, Pep and I are the proud parents to Rowan Virginia Stark over there and you are her honorary uncle. Any questions?”

Rhodey just looked at his best friend, not knowing what to say. Again, Tony has brought a lot of experiences into Rhodey’s life, but he thought this might be the star topper. He looked over at Rowan and was able to see the similarities and traits she shared with Pepper and Tony. She inherited Pepper’s natural light red hair and freckles. Her skin was an even shade between Pepper’s fair skin and Tony’s light olive brown. And those eyes. Those brown eyes were pure Tony.

The colonel took a deep breath and shook his head. “Only you Tones, would end up in a situation like this, where your computer turns into your kid.” He paused for a moment then smirked. “And you better believe I’m going to be the kid’s uncle. I’m going to be the best and her favorite uncle ever.”

Tony laughed and patted his friend’s shoulder, understanding that was Rhodey’s way of accepting and going along with everything. “Well, you’ll have to compete with Happy for the title of favorite uncle.”

Rhodey gave a snort. “Has she met him yet?”

Pepper shook her head. “No, you’re the first person aside from us that Rowan’s met so far. We’re getting into a routine and trying to teach her the essentials before introducing her to people.”

Rhodey leaned closer to the three year-old and gave her a little wave. “Hey Rowan. Can you say ‘Uncle Rhodey is my favorite’?”

Rowan looked at him, confused for a second before shaking her head. “No!”

Tony gave a laugh and Pepper tried to hold back a chuckle.

“Why not?” The man asked her.

Rowan pointed to Tony. “Daddy’s fav’ite!”

At that, Tony preened and gave his daughter a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, baby girl. Don’t you ever forget that I’m your favorite.”

Rowan giggled and tried to squirm away from Tony. She smiled and had a mischievous glint in her eyes. She shook her head again and shouted no.

This time, Tony looked confused. “Oh? Am I not your favorite now?”

Rowan giggled and shook her head again. “No! Mama fav’ite!”

Rhodey started laughing at Tony then, patting the genius on the back. “Oh man! She is definitely your kid, Tones.”

Pepper smiled and picked Rowan up out of her booster seat. “You’re my favorite too, sweetheart.” Pepper told her daughter, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Come on, let’s go wash all this syrup off and let Daddy and Uncle Rhodey talk.”

With that, Pepper walked out of the kitchen with Rowan smiling and waving at Rhodey and Tony, leaving the two men by themselves.

 

After a moment of silence, Rhodey cleared his throat, cause Tony to look up at him. “So,” he began. “You’re really a dad now, huh?”

Tony grinned and looked over where Pepper walked away with Rowan. He turned back to Rhodey and started picking up the dirty dishes.

“Yeah, and it’s pretty great. Pepper and I were both extremely shocked when it happened, but it was hard to deny the fact that there was a three year-old who looked like the perfect mix of us and was sitting there crying, not understanding anything that happened.”

Rhodey nodded and helped him clean up, the two of them beginning to tag-team the dishes. “Did you guys discuss it at all? I mean, suddenly having a toddler thrust upon you is pretty big, man.”

Tony shrugged. “We didn’t really need to talk about it, you know? We both talked in the past about having kids, but recently we learned we wouldn’t be able to. I think it hit Pepper harder, honestly.”

Tony grew quiet for a moment and Rhodey just waited. He knew that Tony and Pepper both had wanted to start a family, and he knew they had both mourned the loss of that happening. Rhodey was glad that they had that chance now, no matter how abnormal it came to be, but he wanted to make sure they were okay and ready for it.

Tony smiled and shrugged again. “Anyways, we didn’t really need to talk about it. I knew that the moment Pepper saw Ro sleeping in my arms that first day, that she was on board. It did help that Rowan looks so much like us, and is still pretty young. We can spin the story of keeping it all a secret for the first handful of years.”

Rhodey smiled and gave Tony a pat on the back before going back to drying the dishes Tony had just washed. “Well I’m glad. You guys deserve some happiness and a family. Especially after everything you guys have been through.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely going to be a change, but it’s a welcome one.” Tony finished washing everything and dried his hands, moving to put away the dishes Rhodey has dried. Before they could say any more, the sound of little feet pattering away on the floor could be heard.

“Unc’e Wodey! Unc’e Wodey!”

Rhodey turned and was just barely able to catch the flying mop of a toddler that was running at him, full speed. He caught her and threw her in the air, eliciting shrieks of laughter from her and a shout of worry from Tony. Rhodey caught the girl and held her on his hip.

Rowan laughed and kept bouncing in Rhodey’s arms. Once her mama and daddy said the man was safe, and that he was her uncle, she knew he must be okay. Her mama and daddy wouldn’t lie and let a bad man near her.

Rhodey chuckled and quickly dipped the little girl, pulling her back upright while she was still squealing in joy. She called his name again, laughing.

“Yes, little Roo?”

Rowan just grinned and kept bouncing, which to her enjoyment, prompt Rhodey to periodically dio Rowan down and back up, eliciting laughter and squeaks every time.

Pepper had followed Rowan and found herself standing next to Tony, his arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her close. She smiled at Rhodey playing with their daughter, once again thankful at how accepting Rhodey is of all the crazy things that seem to keep happening in their life.

 

Rhodey eventually had to let Rowan go. They wished Pepper goodbye as she headed to work, then Rhodey soon followed, handing Rowan off to Tony. As soon as she was in her father’s arms, she wriggled until he had put her down and she raced off to her bedroom to find some toys to play with.

Rhodey pulled Tony into a hug and told him goodbye too. “I just wanted to come up and say hi this morning and to let you know that I’ll be around for a couple days before heading back to D.C. for some more meetings.”

Tony nodded and gave Rhodey a pat on the shoulder. “Nice. Does that mean you’ll join us for dinner tonight?”

Rhodey grinned. “Of course! I have to get to know my niece now, don’t I?”

Tony laughed and walked Rhodey over to the elevator to see him out. “Aside from this first part of the morning, she seems to already love you.”

“Well, you can’t blame her for freaking out when a strange man walks into her kitchen when she’s by herself.”

“Very true. Either way, we’ll see you tonight for dinner?”

“You bet. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

Tony grinned and they shook hands one more time. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you later, buddy.”

Rhodey waved and left via elevator, leaving Tony to turn back and look for Rowan to get started on their day together until they go to meet Pepper for lunch.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought in the comments below and don't hesitate to give any prompts you want to see!
> 
> Have a great day!


End file.
